Go it alone plan dropped

THE Preliminary Working Committee (PWC) will drop its plan to go it alone on the setting up of the court.

Member Raymond Wu Wai-yung said the PWC political sub-group could now only examine the bill and look at what China should do if the bill was not passed in the Legislative Council. 'We have to prepare for such a circumstance,' he said.

Another member Professor Lau Siu-kai said the court deal showed the British were willing to co-operate with China over transitional matters. 'It seems the British have given up taking a leading role in transitional matters, but would rather assist the Chinese side. This is simply a change of British policy towards Beijing,' he said.

He also expected other issues, including the handing over of civil servants' files, the appointment of senior officials in the Special Administrative Region government, as well as the franchise of Container Terminal No 9, to be solved in the near future.

His comments were echoed by legislator and PWC member Tam Yiu-chung, who said that the British side had recognised that unilateralism was not the way to push through major policies.